Composers and songwriters Books

Book SynopsisThe Jimi Hendrix Experience had one of the most dazzling and sensational careers of any band. Their roller-coaster ride through a schedule of sell-out tours and frantic recording sessions left them crazed with sex, drugs, stardom, and exhaustion but at the same time they produced some of the most explosive, inventive, and inspired music ever heard. Now, for the first time, Experience bassist Noel Redding tells the whole story. He lucidly and wittily describes the making of the band''s startlingly innovative music how their phenomenal stage act, featuring Hendrix playing with his teeth and setting his guitar on fire, engendered a state of mass hysteria in the audience and the scarring aftermath of legal hassles and corporate duplicity. Frank, funny, rich in anecdotes, and full of insights into Hendrix, his genius, and the way it has been exploited, Are You Experienced? is a no-holds-barred account of an unforgettable band and a musical legend.Table of Contents* Dreams and Schemes * Managers, Money and Music * Evreux to Monterey to The Monkees * Round Two * Round Three * Last Straw * Win Some, Lose Some * Redding vs the World * Yameta or Bust * Are You Experienced? * Afterword

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Book Synopsis"When The Paris Diary exploded on the scene in 1966 there had never been a book in English quite like it: Its intimate combination of personal, literary, and social insights was unprecedented. Rorem's"Table of ContentsThe Paris Diary * Paris May-July, 1951 * Hyres July, 1951 * Fez, Morocco August, 1951 * Paris September-December, 1951 * Marrakech, Morocco January-February, 1952 * Paris 1952 * Paris 1953 * England, Germany, and Italy 1953 and 1954 * Paris 1954 * Hyres and Italy 1954 and 1955 * France Again 1955 * Aboard the S.S. United States October 1955 The New York Diary * Aboard the S.S. United States October 1955 * New York Spring 1956 * Around the Mediterranean Summer 1956 * Paris and New York, Autumn 1956 * Letter to Claude: New York and Paris March-May 1957 * Paris, Italy, Hyres, Paris, New York Summer-Autumn 1957 * New York Spring-Summer 1958 * New York and New England Summer-Autumn 1958 * Pennsylvania and New York Autumn 1958 * New York, Saratoga, Buffalo 1959-1960 * Saratoga, New York, Buffalo, New York 1960-1961

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Book SynopsisYears after her death Maria Callas remains one of the most renowned and compelling of all divas. Although much has been written about Callas the prima donna, the consummate stage magician, and the tragic lover of Aristotle Onassis, this is the first account of Maria the woman by someone who was close to her. Stancioff, a longtime friend, shares memories of the Maria who gave impromptu concerts of Beatles hits and Mexican ballads of the Maria who starved herself to conform to the image of a celebrity but would go into rhapsodies about a plate of pasta. And to her own warm reminiscences, Stancioff adds the insights of Maria''s friends, colleagues, and family. The figure that emerges is intriguing, infuriating, mystifying,and endlessly fascinating.

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Trade ReviewChicago Tribune, 10/11/16 "Wilson's book documents scattered memories and streamlines them into a series of impressions and anecdotes...Offer[s] valuable if unsettling insights into the personal dynamics inside an American band." AXS, 10/13/16 "Wilson goes beach-combing through the past, panning the sands of time for the socio-psychological seashells that gave rise to America's most successful singing group--and launched Wilson's lifetime bout with mental illness...Here Wilson recounts the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful in the straightforward conversational tone of a mature, experienced man reclining in his Lay-Z-Boy, albeit tempered with his boyish enthusiasm (and melancholy)." Dallas Morning News, 10/14/16 "An unflinching portrait." New York Journal of Books, 10/11/16 "Immediate, informal, and confessional...Behind the wholesome image of shy boys and cute girls in a world of eternal sunshine, the Beach Boys inhabited a much darker reality. Brian Wilson nails it in his latest memoir." The LA Beat, 10/13/16 "One of the most honest and forthcoming autobiographies ever written by a musician...As you start to read, you really feel less an observer, and more of a participant in [Wilson's] journey...If you only read one book this year, it should be Brian's book." Publishers Weekly, 9/12/16 "[A] charming and powerfully written memoir that will engage a readership beyond the multitude of Beach Boys fans...Despite his fame and success, Wilson comes off as a genuinely modest and gentle soul...Wilson's emotional authenticity is beguiling as he takes readers deeply into his mind, voices and all, to describe his unique manifestation of musical genius." No Depression, 9/16/16 "Wilson's memoir offers a more sober glance at the spiritual and physical forces that haunt artists and that often drive them to produce the beautiful, sad, and relentlessly affecting music we often embrace...Wilson's memoir eventually grabs us at a deeper level than Love's. If you're looking for fun, fun, fun, pick up Love, but if you're searching for a more introspective, in my room, experience, pick Wilson." Canadian Living, 9/22/16 "In this tell-almost-all memoir, Brian Wilson candidly reflects on his struggles with family, substance abuse and mental illness and digs deep into the inspiration and meaning behind his music. It's a must-read for any fan of The Beach Boys--or the '60s pop scene, in general--with big-name music icons of the era (Phil Spector, Carole King, Paul McCartney) featuring in many of the stories." Record Collector, Issue 459 "His recollections of the abuse he suffered at the hands of life-coach Eugene Landy and his father are told with such blunt economy that they are quite crushing. Wilson's equally candid and plainspoken about his work...There's a good deal of myth-busting." Goldmine, November 2016 "Wilson's memoir is streaked with melancholy...Wilson fans will find it a compelling book." Huffington Post, 10/12/16 "Wilson takes you on a journey into the life of a creative genius, exploring his turbulent life and creative influences and how, regardless of his inner and outer demons, there is always hope...I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir isn't the kind of book you can read in a day. Like a summer vacation, you want it to last forever...As a memoir, honest and insightful. But it's very much a memoir of a musician. From reading this book, you'll gain a deeper appreciation for the man behind some of the world's greatest hits and for music in general." Forbes.com, 10/11/16 "Wilson sets the record straight...His voice definitely comes through...It is a wonderful insight into a troubled genius." Rolling Stone, 9/27/16 "Excellent...I Am Brian Wilson is soulful and earnest--like spending quality time with a gentle sage with an endearingly erratic attention span...Wilson is heartbreakingly blunt about his mental breakdowns and suffering at the hands of his father. He has startling insights into the music."--Rob Sheffield Time magazine, 9/29/16 "Disarmingly personal." Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/29/16 "When you read his new memoir...you'll get an even deeper exploration into the mental illness and the rebound, the villains and heroes in his life." Wall Street Journal, 9/30/16 "As plain-spoken as its title. Here the band's presiding genius wanders over the terrain of his life as a son, father, husband and supremely gifted musician...Tell[s] us much that we didn't know...Suggest[s] how we might best view the artistic life--any life, really." Loud and Quiet, October 2016 "In I Am Brian Wilson, Wilson is unflinching in his rendering of the euphoric highs and chaotic lows that have made up the last seven decades. His and the Beach Boys' story has been told many times before and is one we may think we know already, but it has never before been voiced with the clarity, honesty and insight on offer here." A New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly Best Seller! Vanity Fair, September 2016 "I Am Brian Wilson slipstreams through the past like a message in a bottle...It has moments of personal testimony that are poignant and indelible." New York Post, 8/11/16 "1960s Beach Boy on mental illness, sorrow, drugs, destabilization, demons, turbulence and discord." Booklist, 9/1/16 "Music journalist Greenman helps keep this meandering memoir coherent and poignant." CNN.com, 8/24/16 "Plenty of authors have written about this Beach Boy and now he'll get his say." Rolling Stone, 9/8/16 "Wilson tells his own story: his battles with his abusive father, the pressure to score hits in the Sixties, and his long struggle with mental illness." Billboard, 9/3/16 "Wilson delves into his battle with mental illness and how he created the band's pioneering sound." The Scotsman, 10/15/16 "As much about Wilson's reclusive existence in the 1970s and '80s as it is about the heyday of his band...This is no misery memoir, however--the tone throughout is almost breezy; difficult subjects are dealt with honestly, but never in such detail as to become uncomfortable...I Am Brian Wilson succeeds in shedding new light on Wilson's remarkable life." Herald Scotland, 10/14/16 "This autobiography of one of the most creative minds in 20th century popular music is clearly worth the reading, but the fact that it turns out to be an eloquent witness for a 21st century approach to mental illness may ultimately be its greater value." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/14/16 "[An] essential read for Beach Boys fans." Foreword Reviews, 10/20/16 "With the release of his memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, those who love the music and wonder about the man are afforded access into his thoughts and insights. In nonlinear and candid prose, Wilson discusses his music, yes, but also his battles with mental illness, his career highs and lows, and sprinkles these accounts with peeks into his fascinating worldview. The work is empathetic and raw; there is humility here, and ingenuity as well." Esquire.com, 10/11/16 "A fascinating peek into the life and creative process of one of the 20th Century's most lauded songwriters and record producers...[An] intriguing glimpse into what makes one of rock's true legends tick." Parade.com, 10/10/16 "[Wilson] bares his heart and soul...He recalls the many personal and professional highs and the plentiful painful lows of his life and career." Publishers Weekly, 10/10/16 "In I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir, the founder of the Beach Boys speaks candidly about his musical inspirations and mental illness...A wonderful gift to [his] fans." Houston Chronicle, 10/9/16 "In this honest and nonlinear memoir, one of rock 'n' roll's greatest composers talks honestly about both his musical triumphs and his struggles with mental illness and substance abuse...For fans of the music, Wilson does dig deep into the inspirations and recording of albums." Psychology Today, 10/11/16 "[Wilson's] extraordinary journey is intimately described in his new memoir." Library Journal, 10/6/16 "Wilson's memoir digs deep, with fierce honesty from the opening pages." The Arts Desk, 10/16/16 "It's intriguing to get a Wilson's-eye view of his own legend--it's one of the great tales of the music business, after all...All the key elements of Brian's life are here...Where the book really lights up is when Wilson talks in detail about music. There are fascinating descriptions of the recording of "God Only Knows", the Pet Sounds, Surf's Up and Holland albums and the difficulties he had with the SMiLE material...When he analyses the influence of the Beatles, the Stones and Phil Spector, it evokes the extraordinary intensity of the mid-Sixties musical eruption that the Beach Boys were caught up in." Toronto Star, 10/15/16 "The book jumps through time, the drugs, the mental illness, the music, the love and the pain. It has charming asides." Maclean's, 10/16/16 "[The] book pulls no punches: Wilson openly discusses his five decades of mental issues, his struggles with an abusive father, drugs, alcohol and weight, his debilitating fears and his failures (and successes) as a husband, dad and bandmate." The Arts Fuse, 10/11/16 "Pleasures await the Wilson/Beach Boys fan, as Wilson recounts the making of the Beach Boys album (Pet Sounds) and song ('Good Vibrations') he's proudest of and enthuses over his favorite non-Beach Boys album (the Beatles' Rubber Soul) and song ('Be My Baby,' produced by Phil Spector), his favorite classical composer (Bach), and his influences...Wilson speaks at length about his mental illness, how it robbed him of the joy and optimism his music provided for so many people." ABC News Radio, 10/11/16 "Wilson talks candidly about his struggles with mental illness and drugs, while giving fascinating insight into the creation of many of The Beach Boys' beautiful, catchy and complex songs." New York Magazine's Vulture, 10/11/16 "The Beach Boys leader's story is well told by now, but reading his often blunt retelling is harrowing, especially as he describes years swaddled in drugs and alcohol, and controlled by the notorious Dr. Landy. But as much as the book delves behind the so-called madman, it also gets behind the genius. Wilson and writer Ben Greenman lay the story out simply and with limited sensationalism, including fascinating sections where Wilson recounts his creative process and the work behind so many classic songs." The Australian, 10/22/16 "Freakishly, genre-transcendingly good: a rock memoir of genius, if ever there was one...Brilliantly unusual, like Wilson himself...It gets his unique inner world on to the page intact...It's also illuminated, along the way, by sudden lightning-flashes of insight into the world of mental illness." National Post, 10/18/16 "The book's voice [is] plainspoken, earnest, prone to both anxieties and boyish excitement...[and] true to the man." The Guardian, 10/16/16 "A beguilingly honest account of what it is to be Wilson." Phoenix New Times, 10/17/16 "Reading I Am Brian Wilson is like having a conversation with Brian Wilson...It feels authentic...It's imperfectly flawless...This is the story of a hero as well as an artist, a genius, and a musician. He frankly portrays his mental illness from the beginning to his lowest depths to the heights he's at today...Famous people from the music world make appearances...In 300 pages Brian Wilson tells a tale that's as fascinating as any of his American sagas, a book that reads as much as a confessional as it does an act of catharsis." VICE's Noisey, 10/16/16 "Tells the harrowing, heartbreaking story of the life of Brian." "Fascinating and intensely personal...The utter lack of pretense in the prose captures that familiar slightly flat, slightly sad, often rhapsodic voice with true authenticity...I Am Brian Wilson would fail as the Brian Wilson story if it did not deal with the darker corners of his life, and Wilson wanders through these areas fearlessly...Love, music, and an immensely sincere man's true voice are what you should expect and what I Am Brian Wilson delivers."-Psychobabble, 10/21/16 "An unconventional but fascinating read...One gets a terrific feel for Brian Wilson as a person and how he both thinks about and is affected by music. This is one true joy of the book...In all, I Am Brian Wilson is as interesting a book as you'd want it to be. It's not a linear history. It's not a juicy tell-all. But it is a beautiful view into the brilliant and sometimes troubled mind of a true genius of American music."-Under the Radar, 10/25/16 "Candid and tragic, yet in the end exquisitely triumphant and love affirming, I am Brian Wilson is the last (and only) word on Brian's all-too-written-about and over-analyzed past."-Elmore, 10/25/16 "A book almost the opposite of Love's: forgiving, chaotically associative."-New York Review of Books, 10/26/16 "A candid, heartfelt autobiography about a pop-music icon who managed to overcome dark influences that might have defeated someone less resilient."-New York Times Syndicate, 10/11/16 "The book is kind of like his music-gentle, spiritual, lyrical-and provides the expansive commentary that Brian does not usually provide in interviews...It's also funny as hell in places...An altogether lovely read."-The Suburban, 10/29/16 "He has worked with a ghostwriter, but anyone who has seen his spectacular solo shows or seen him interviewed will recognise the voice immediately: vulnerable, faltering, pained, unexpectedly funny...There is a candour and even a childlike openness to how he describes the battling voices in his head and the self-doubt and self-imposed pressure...Wilson's memoir has a weepily beautiful mellowness and a real poignancy that shines through the acrimony and wasted years."-Sydney Morning Herald, 11/5/16 "The enigmatic Wilson documents the poetic lyricism, inspiration and creativity behind his vast discography while at the same time showing a man who is over-time coming to terms with his past...Extremely candid...You aren't going to find any other story like that of Brian Wilson's. Very rarely if ever will you find a person with Brian's notoriety be as truthful and forth coming as he is in this book."-Media Mikes, 11/1/16 "Join the genius behind The Beach Boys as he takes a stroll down memory lane, revealing never-before-heard details about his upbringing with brothers Carl and Dennis, as well as his struggle with mental illness, drug use and more. In I Am Brian Wilson, the legendary surf rocker discusses how these hardships shaped the man he is today, and how he's learnt to forgive those who wronged him."-Over Sixty, 11/3/16 "A frank and revealing portrait of a troubled and popular music pioneer...Worth reading if you are a fan of the Beach Boys, or enjoy reading about how even extreme mental difficulties can be faced, and if not overcome, at least lived with." -Portland Book Review, 11/2/16 "The Beach Boys frontman has a fascinating story...He recounts the ups and downs of his life with candor." -InStyle.com, 11/1/16 "[An] alternatingly sad and inspiring memoir." -Downtown Magazine, 11/17/16 "Beach Boys fans finally get the scoop from the man himself...Provide[s] a crucial blueprint of the rise and fall of one of America's most interesting pop musicians. Wilson carefully answers questions that many die-hard fans have been wondering for years and doesn't shy away from exploring the darker, less glamorous side of being in one of the most famous American bands of all time."-Memphis Flyer, 11/17/16 "The 312-page book...convey[s] Brian Wilson's way of thinking-mostly gentle, conciliatory, a little disjointed and tinged with resignation."-Stockton Record, 11/17/16 "The Beach Boys legend once thought he just wasn't made for these times, but in his new memoir, he reflects on his brilliant career and his successful struggle against his personal demons." -Los Angeles Times "[Wilson] depicts mental illness candidly."-Austin Chronicle "In this candid testament, Wilson examines sources of his creative inspiration and reveals his mental and spiritual struggles, his highs and lows." -RTE "Filled with perspective and wisdom."-Music Is My Sanctuary, Top 10 Music Books of 2016 "A patchwork of memories covering childhood through stardom with The Beach Boys, dark years of mental illness and the comeback he has enjoyed in recent years." -Milwaukee Shepherd Express "[Wilson] tells it his way, and that makes it better than any history I've read of the Beach Boys to date. His no-holds-barred admissions of his mistakes and triumphs are revealing and engaging...The book is also peppered with surprises." -San Francisco Book Review "[Wilson] weighs in on his extreme highs and lows." -SouthCoast Today undefined-iHeartRadio "A strange kind of surfing through the Beach Boy's interior life."-The Guardian "[Wilson] tell[s] his story in his own way...For Wilson admirers it's a gift from Brian, that, more than anything reveals a sweet, mentally troubled man for whom making music is like breathing for the rest of us." -Lincoln Journal Star "A page turner...If you're at all a fan, you need this book." -Vintage Guitar "Offer[s] some fascinating glimpses under the hood."-New York Times Book Review "[A] must-read for any Beach Boys fan, packed with never-before-seen personal photos and incredible anecdotes." -Over Sixty "[Wilson] tells his story with incredible intensity, candidness, and humor...It is as if we are having an extended and intimate conversation with Wilson...There has been a veritable avalanche of autobiographies and memoirs from aging rockers in recent years as they begin to contemplate their place in rock history. I Am Brian Wilson takes its hard-earned place in the front of these books. It is not to be missed." -Washington Independent Review of Books "Touchingly modest...From the start you know you're in for something special...Honest and affecting." -The Spectator (UK)

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Book SynopsisThis first scholarly book on Cecile Chaminade, a popular composer, pianist, and one of the few women to attain critical acclaim as a composer in the early twentieth century, contains an extensive biography drawn from a significant collection of primary sources. The study presents basic information, including facts not previously published, on this neglected composer and it offers a discussion of historical and aesthetic issues inherent in her life and career as well as observations about her musical style. The exhaustive bibliography, an annotated listing of her prolific output, contains a selection of reviews of her compositions and first performances, and a brief section identifying her prose works. The up-to-date discography lists every commercially made recording of her individual works, anthologies, and performances, and it includes out-of-print releases.This informative book offers the first detailed presentation of information on the location of Chaminade mTable of ContentsWorks and Performances Discography Bibliography Appendix I: Alphabetical List of Works Appendix II: Classified List of Works Appendix III: Summary of Archival Resources

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Book SynopsisThis work provides a detailed guide through Chopin's set of 24 interconnected Preludes. It examines the Preludes both individually and as a group, and assesses both technical and expressive means and ends.Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Prelude No. 1 in C Major Prelude No. 2 in A Minor Prelude No. 3 in G Major Prelude No. 4 in E Minor Prelude No. 5 in D Major Prelude No. 6 in B Minor Prelude No. 7 in A Major Prelude No. 8 in F# Minor Prelude No. 9 in E Major Prelude No. 10 in C# Minor Prelude No. 11 in B Major Prelude No. 12 in G# Minor Prelude No. 13 in F# Major Prelude No. 14 in E-flat Minor Prelude No. 15 in D-flat Major Prelude No. 16 in B-flat Minor Prelude No. 17 in A-flat Major Prelude No. 18 in F Minor Prelude No. 19 in E-flat Major Prelude No. 20 in C Minor Prelude No. 21 in B-flat Major Prelude No. 22 in G Minor Prelude No. 23 in F Major Prelude No. 24 in D Minor For Further Reading

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Book SynopsisThis reference work details Frank Sinatra's extensive creative accomplishments and includes biographical information as it relates to his art.Table of ContentsThe Voice - The Music of Frank Sinatra; The Songs; The Albums; The Big Screen and the Small - Sinatra on Film, Radio, Television, Video and the Internet; The Films; Small Screens - Radio, Television, Video and the Internet; The Performer and the Citizen - Concerts, Benefit Performances and Awards; Major Concerts and Benefit Performances; Awards and Honours; Appendices - Appendix 1 - The Studio Recordings, Appendix 2 - The V-Discs, Appendix 3 - Sinatra on CD.

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Book SynopsisFocusing on Sinatra's presence in the recording studio, this discography catalogues Frank Sinatra's commercial records, V-Discs, and soundtrack film recordings. The first chapter covers Sinatra's early years as a vocalist with the big bands of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Entries then proceed chronologically with separate chapters for each decade. Data was collected from session reports in the files of record companies and from some union contracts. Commercial record and film soundtrack entries include band personnel and composer credits.Frank Sinatra fans, music historians, and discographers will appreciate this comprehensive catalogue of session recordings in which Sinatra either sang or conducted. The sessions span Sinatra's entire career, from his early days through the nineties. Two indexes, of song titles and of artists, complete the book.Table of ContentsIntroduction Bibliography Abbreviations The Band Vocalist The Forties The Fifties The Sixties The Seventies The Eighties The Nineties Index of Tune Titles Index of Artists

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Book SynopsisPart mystery, part biography, part meditation on a forgotten singer from the early days of jazz, this is Nick Tosches piecing together of a life - that of Emmett Miller, whose songs prefigured jazz, country, blues and much of the popular music of the 20th century.

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Book SynopsisShe was like a storm. Leonard Cohen Reckless Daughter is the story of an artist and an era that have left an indelible mark on American music. Joni Mitchell may be the most influential female recording artist and composer of the late twentieth century. In Reckless Daughter, the music critic David Yaffe tells the remarkable, heart-wrenching story of how the blond girl with the guitar became a superstar of folk music in the 1960s, a key figure in the Laurel Canyon music scene of the 1970s, and the songwriter who spoke resonantly to, and for, audiences across the country. A Canadian prairie girl, a free-spirited artist, Mitchell never wanted to be a pop star. She was nothing more than a painter derailed by circumstances, she would explain. And yet, she went on to become a talented self-taught musician and a brilliant bandleader, releasing album after album, each distinctly experimental, challenging, and revealing. Her lyrics captivated listeners with their perceptive language and naked emotion, born out of Mitchell's life, loves, complaints, and prophecies. As an artist whose work deftly balances narrative and musical complexity, she has been admired by such legendary lyricists as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen and beloved by such groundbreaking jazz musicians as Jaco Pastorius, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock. Her hitsfrom Big Yellow Taxi to Both Sides, Now to A Case of Youendure as timeless favorites, and her influence on the generations of singer-songwriters who would follow her, from her devoted fan Prince to Björk, is undeniable.In this intimate biography, drawing on dozens of unprecedented in-person interviews with Mitchell, her childhood friends, and a cast of famous characters, Yaffe reveals the backstory behind the famous songsfrom Mitchell's youth in Canada, her bout with polio at age nine, and her early marriage and the child she gave up for adoption, through the love affairs that inspired masterpieces, and up to the presentand shows us why Mitchell has so enthralled her listeners, her lovers, and her friends.

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Book SynopsisWalking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop’s imperious owner. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier’s master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion.Praise for The Piano Shop on the Left Bank:“[Carhart’s] writing is flu

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Book SynopsisA detailed, authoritative portrait of a commanding figure in twentieth-century music.

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Book SynopsisIves's second piano sonata, Concord, Mass., 1845, stands among the masterpieces of American music.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Author's Preface:I believe that in his greatest music Beethoven was primarily concerned to express his personal vision of life. This vision was, of course, the product of his character and his experience. Beethoven the man and Beethoven the composer are not two unconnected entities, and the known history of the man may be used to throw light upon the character of his music.Clifton Fadiman has said of this classic study:It is the most interesting book on music that I have ever read and it is not written for musical experts; rather for people like myself who like to listen to music but can boast no special knowledge of it. It deals not only with music, on which I do not speak with authority, but with human life in general, about which you and I speak with authority every day of our lives.

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Book SynopsisCountry music's Waylon Jennings shares this story of his life. He tells of his rise from poor beginnings to fame as Buddy Holly's protege, and his own near-destruction from drug abuse and financial ruin. He discusses his three failed marriages, and his joy at finding his soulmate, Jessi Colter.

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Book SynopsisA candid autobiography of the great rock diva of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, revealing her wild life at the forefront of the Sixties and Seventies counterculture.She has been called rock and roll''s original female outlaw, as famous for her bad behavior as for her haunting singing voice. In her 25-year career as a musician, Grace Slick charted dozens of hits and sold millions of albums. From White Rabbit and Somebody to Love to Sarah and Miracles, the songs she performed became the anthems of a generation.Whether describing her antics at the White House with Abbie Hoffman or the unforgettable experience that was Woodstock, Slick''s recollections have the same rich imagery found in her lyrics. In this provocative narrative, readers will discover the many sides of Grace Slick: as artistic pioneer; she records songs with Jerry Garcia and David Crosby; as practitioner of freedom and rebellion; she sleeps with Jim Morrison and gets arrested for DUI on three separate occasions

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling memoir-now available as an enhanced paperback edition with a new Introduction and never-before- seen photos! In this New York Times bestseller, international superstar Ricky Martin, who has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, opens up for the first time about memories of his early childhood, experiences in the famed boy band Menudo, struggles with his identity during the Livin' la Vida Loca phenomenon, reflections on coming to terms with his sexuality, relationships that allowed him to embrace love, and life-changing decisions like devoting himself to helping children around the world, and becoming a father. Me is an intimate memoir about the very liberating and spiritual journey of one of the most iconic pop-stars of our time.

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Book SynopsisSince 2000, when this biography was first published, Menuhin''s name has not faded from public attention, as often happens in the decades after the death of a popular performing artist. Far from it: the centenary of his birth, April 22, 1916, is being marked by celebrations around the world.Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York of Russian Jewish immigrants. Prodigiously gifted, the ''Miracle Boy'' gave his first solo recital aged eight and within five years was world-famous. Menuhin was a visionary individualist, who didn''t mind shocking the establishment. His post-war support for the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler, and his determination to build bridges with the defeated German nation, brought him into sharp conflict with the Jewish establishment and DPs in Berlin. Later he spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and denounced the Soviet Union''s oppressive policy towards writers and dissidents.Drawing on contemporary sources, unpublished family correspond

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Book SynopsisAs the sixties revolution sweeps into the quiet market town of Chichester, the relationship between father and son falls under the spotlight. Charlotte Jones's Redlands opened at Chichester Festival Theatre in September 2024.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating portrait of the momentous Russian composer Alfred Schnittke.

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Book SynopsisThe explosive development of the young musicians who became a phenomenon.

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Book SynopsisA beautifully crafted biography examines both the music and the man.

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Book SynopsisThe work of Poulenc in the context of his colourful personal life.

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